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"This filtering is too brutal!"

"The strike of a Celestial's clone? I'd feel proud of myself if I didn't wet my pants."

"We're all Ascendants, but such a gap is too much."

All the Ascendants talked in whispers; they would surely be eliminated if they participated. It would be a complete waste of time.

The Heavenly Lords in the void battlefield quickly took action.

They picked a direction and flew towards the three Celestial's clones.

Next, they reached the three clones and the test began. The trio punched slowly, but the space collapsed at a visible speed; there seemed to be black holes in their palms.

The blasts were so terrifying that even the Ascendants witnessing the test felt a chill.

The Heavenly Lords resisted the strikes via different means; most of them released their domains which covered the entire area, making it impossible to see what was happening with clarity.

They were probably afraid that the Ascendants watching would remember their trump cards, which would give them a disadvantage in the following competition.

Domains faded away soon after being established, revealing the casters within. Some seemed to be wounded, breathing heavily with their backs bent. Some seemed fine, but it soon became evident that they were shivering upon closer inspection.

The single-punch test was very fast, not taking more than five seconds for each participant. Then, they suddenly disappeared; it seemed that they had been relocated to a place removed from the eyes of the audience.

The rest of the Heavenly Lords took the test one after the other.

Su Ping observed carefully, noticing that the Celestial clones were tough, but they were different when compared to those found in cultivation sites.

In general… they're weaker than their counterparts I've met in cultivation sites.

Su Ping frowned a bit. This wasn't a cause for great delight or surprise, as it was within his expectations; however, he was disappointed in a way.

His universe couldn't compare to the top cultivation sites, at all.

Some of the gods and the souls in the Chaotic Realm of the Undead were better than the Celestials of his universe.

After all, those ancient planes had Ancestral Gods and were more competitive. They had a longer history too.

There's still a long journey for our universe. It's too young…?Su Ping thought. He was even more determined to disseminate the multiple small worlds technique and that way accelerate the overall development.

The catastrophes that happened to the cultivation sites would be unimaginably destructive if they ever happened to his universe.

The test in the void battlefield was quickly conducted while he pondered over those matters.

Some Heavenly Lords unleashed their domains, while others acted in the open. Song Yuan, for example, faced Xu Kong instead of his master.

He punched back with a smile when her Celestial clone punched him.

Their fists collided, producing a dazzling light as if stars would have burst out. Then, an infinite, scorching energy surged like torrents and drowned them.

Everybody finally saw that Song Yuan emerged unscathed after the energy dispersed.

Elsewhere—Liu Xia, the first disciple of the Red Fire Star Zone's Celestial, confronted Shen Huang by raising a hand and invoking a dark region.

Shen Huang's punch was bogged down in the darkness; its violent power was buried. The attack struggled for a moment, but gradually thawed over. The process seemed quite simple, but it showed how terrifying the Night Reaper was.

"Indeed. The gap between Heavenly Lords is massive too!"

"I can't believe this. Even though they're Heavenly Lords, they're on the same level as we are. Not only are they dwarfing us, they are also competing fiercely amongst themselves. I feel suffocated!"

"That Heavenly Lord failed, didn't he?"

Everyone looked at a certain Heavenly Lord whose domain cracked as soon as it was unfolded. He lay still, apparently unconscious.

Then, he was gone.

Su Ping observed in silence. He no longer worried, seeing that Senior Sister Ji and the others wore relieved expressions after the test.

However, three of his senior brothers looked regretful in the end. Su Ping then remembered that their earlier test results suggested that they were bottom-rung Heavenly Lords; they had probably failed.

It shouldn't be a problem for me to survive a punch from one of those clones.

Even though he couldn't feel the power of their collisions first hand, he was still able to reach such a conclusion from what he could see.

"Grandmother…"

Loulan Lin watched anxiously as her relative was being tested. Heavenly Lord Jian Lan was rather calm when she faced Chi Huo's explosive punch. She drew her sword abruptly, raising a sword aura that dazzled everyone's eyes, even though this happened on the battlefield.

The sword aura passed, and the universe seemed to have been restarted.

All the power was gone. Heavenly Lord Jian Lan was standing still, without showing signs of exhaustion; she seemed to have withdrawn her sword at some point.

Loulan Lin was relieved to see the result.

All the Heavenly Lords went through the testing as time went by. The three Celestial clones disappeared from the void battlefield. Then, a fog emerged inside the bubble and blocked everyone's sight.

Some people were ejected from that dome.

This process didn't stop until more than twenty people flew out.

The Heavenly Lords that left the bubble looked at each other in bewilderment. They felt both frustrated and lucky when they saw some familiar faces.

"Please have a seat. The battle for the commandery is about to begin," said Shen Huang casually.

The other Ascendants realized that the ejected Heavenly Lords had been eliminated. It seemed logical, as none of the Celestial's first disciples nor the remarkable Heavenly Lords were among the ousted.

"More than twenty Heavenly Lords have been eliminated. Unbelievable!"

"How cruel."

"I wonder what will happen during the competition for generals. We won't be eliminated before we have a chance to fight, will we?"

Many Ascendants were worried, feeling bitter and helpless.

Three of the eliminated senior brothers and one senior sister returned to their seats. The others immediately comforted them. "You've done well enough."

But they weren't too frustrated, even after not making the cut. They were able to assess the gap between them and their first senior brother, and they had mostly wanted to test their strength. There could only be one commander; naturally, they didn't think they could win.

However, it was still beyond their expectation that they didn't even pass the first test. They had no chance to practice with the Heavenly Lords of other star zones.

Su Ping looked at the Loulan family. Heavenly Lord Jian Lan wasn't eliminated, but two of their Heavenly Lords were ejected. Only three people had advanced, including the Loulans' famous leader who was said to be a top Heavenly Lord; his result in the test was as good as that of Song Yuan's.

"Those Heavenly Lords were eliminated too easily. The test is too hard!"

Diaz and Shuai Qianhou looked at the scene; Diaz couldn't help but clench his fists excitedly.

Shuai Qianhou's eyes glittered. feeling increasingly eager to try Su Ping's multiple small world technique. He would surely become a top Heavenly Lord if he established more small worlds before he rose to the Ascendant State, and wouldn't be eliminated like the ones just then.

I must be the best!?Shuai Qianhou was unwilling to be left behind by anybody on any level.

The fog in the bubble dispersed after Shen Huang's announcement, and the scenes on the void battlefield changed too. Rivers and mountains were rearranged; it was extremely vast.

The Heavenly Lords who had advanced resurfaced; they looked as insignificant as dust particles.

"Based on your result when testing your Ascendant State power, you're free to choose your opponent. Those with higher rankings will pick first; those who are picked cannot refuse," Chi Huo announced.

Many Ascendants were shocked by this, not expecting that the previous test was actually a preparation for the challenges.

No wonder Shen Huang had asked them to try their best.

They would naturally pick the weakest if they could pick their opponents, so that they could advance without becoming too exhausted.

Xu Kong then waved a hand, manifesting the names and rankings of the Heavenly Lords who had advanced; Liu Xia, from the Red Fire Star Zone, was at the very top.

She remained calm; all the Ascendant had a clear recollection of the results, even without Xu Kong's announcement. Considering the number of people still present, it wasn't easy for them to figure out when they would get to pick.

"You may pick your opponent first," said Chi Huo with a chuckle.

Liu Xia gave a slight nod. She then looked at the somewhat near Song Yuan, with hostility in her eyes.

Song Yuan looked at her while putting on a bitter smile.

"She's not going to challenge Song Yuan, is she? It would be a spectacular show if she did!"

"Wow! Is it going to be this exciting from the very beginning?"

Many Ascendants were excited, as they had heard of the history between them. Also, Liu Xia had clearly been hostile to Song Yuan in the earlier test.

While everybody looked forward to their clash, Liu Xia approached Song Yuan with an indifferent expression and moved her lips.

Song Yuan's bitter smile returned after hearing her telepathic message.

Liu Xia walked past him, then approached a middle-aged man who ranked second to last in the test, announcing her choice.

The middle-aged man wasn't too surprised; he simply heaved a sigh.

"Just as I expected, those Heavenly Lords are rational."

"It's not worth it to fight over personal grudges. The commander position is the top priority."

"The commander would be too powerful and important. The three main factions want the position; it would be stupid for her to act willfully at this moment."

"I knew the Night Reaper wouldn't pick him. That she-devil is too cold blooded to let fury get the better of her."

Many Ascendants sighed, not feeling too surprised about such a decision.

The other Heavenly Lords were also quick to select their opponents.

They had mostly chosen rivals that were easier to deal with, and they were unwilling to reveal their trump cards in the first round.

Even so, the Loulans and the Yuantians chose to clash.

They didn't go for lesser opponents.

The leader of the Yuantian family picked the Loulans' family leader, and Jian Lan picked another Heavenly Lord from the rival family.

"Have they given up the commander position?"

"They must truly 'love' each other; they don't let each other go even at moments like this."

"I don't think so; maybe they have other reasons. It's possible they want to settle their grudges this time. After all, they'll become allies and would have to set their grievances aside."

"That's true. This competition would also be a chance for reconciliation!"

Many Ascendants speculated.

The confrontation of the two families made the lower-ranked Heavenly Lords feel relieved. This would mean that they too would have a chance to pick opponents.

The selection ended and it was time for the first battle.

Liu Xia was the first to step up; her opponent was an old looking fellow. Regardless of appearance, he could actually be significantly younger than her.

The battle began. Liu Xia simply unfolded her domain of eternal night and covered the battlefield.

Everybody saw that a black hole began to spin, with light bursting out every now and then, as if a man-eating monster were hidden in the dark.

The battle soon came to an end.

Liu Xia was quietly standing in the void, and the old man lay unconscious on the ground.

The Ascendant cultivators were lost for words, seeing how fast the battle had ended. That old man was a renowned Heavenly Lord anyway; many peers had heard of him.

Who would have thought that the man couldn't endure half an hour against the Night Reaper?

"Is it possible that some Heavenly Lords are as far apart in strength as we are when compared to Star Lords?"

"…Stop talking. I need a moment."

The Ascendants felt chills all over.

All the Heavenly Lords were still in the Ascendant State. They were technically at the same level.

There's indeed the aura of the darkest law. It might not be the law itself, but they must share the same origin. If I can grasp it, I'll be able to understand my darkest law better…?Su Ping's eyes glittered.

Even though the battle was awfully short, he sensed that the Night Reaper's power was very similar to that of his Sorcerer's constitution.

If there was a chance, he would definitely request his master to make the proper introductions so he could talk to her.

The Heavenly Lord who failed was teleported out after the battle; there would be no more chances for him to fight again.

Only the one who won all the battles would attain the commander position. Those who failed would be directly eliminated.

Song Yuan's battle soon took place. He had also picked a Heavenly Lord whose ranking was low in the previous test. Even though the opponent probably had other trump cards that helped him resist the Celestial State strike, he was still defeated by Song Yuan with ease.

Just like Liu Xia, Song Yuan had unfolded his domain and covered his battle, so that others couldn't get to see his trump cards.